


Polyswap 2019

by vel16



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alcohol, As in they're supernatural creatures not the TV show, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, Invisibility, M/M, Medium - Freeform, Messy Feelings, Polyamory, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Vampires, Werewolves, failed invisibility, implied abuse (brief mention)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-19 20:08:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19363411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vel16/pseuds/vel16
Summary: Karkat has had many feelings for many people, but these two have stuck. Why can't relationships just not be messy for once?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jellyfishmurderer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jellyfishmurderer/gifts).



> This was such a great prompt! I felt really inspired by it which of course led to huge ideas with loads of lore and other bits and pieces from the prompt, but there was no way that was going to be written in time, so consider this a prequel to that if it ever gets written

Karkat was sat at his regular table, in his regular bar, drinking his regular drink, when he first saw the tall blond stranger with red eyes. What struck him at first was how casually he moved; there was an elegance to his strides, and a confidence unlike anything Karkat had witnessed before. Karkat couldn’t take his eyes off the stranger, and yet if he had widened his peripheral vision he might have noticed that no-one else seemed struck by the stranger. In fact, no one seemed to see him at all - it was as if he was invisible to all but Karkat. The stranger made his way to the crowded bar, grabbed someone’s half-finished drink, downed it in one, then replaced the empty glass. Karkat barely registered this, nor the fact that nobody seemed to mind, or even notice. The stranger did the same thing again a little further along the bar. This time, something clicked in Karkat’s mind, but it was quickly dissolved when the two made eye contact. The stranger started, eyebrows furrowing. He looked over his shoulder, then back to Karkat. After a few beats he made his way over to Karkat’s table.

“You ok, bro?” the stranger asked. Karkat quickly looked away.

“Uh, yeah, peachy.” He took a glug of his drink - there was more than he had anticipated and he choked, spilling his drink down himself. As he slammed the glass back on the table, gasping, the stranger simply smiled.

“Want me to get you a fresh one? What are you drinking?”

Karkat took a better look at the stranger. He was wearing a sharp red suit with a grey tie. Or was it silver? He looked refined and put-together, in direct contrast to Karkat’s just-got-off-work chic. Karkat felt intimidated, then felt cross with himself for allowing a stranger to influence his self-esteem like that. Nevertheless, he felt a desire to impress.

“Sex on th… uh wiskey, neat. Thanks.”

The stranger’s smile widened, and his teeth flashed for a moment. “You sure you don’t want coke with that?” but before Karkat could answer, he was half way to the bar, wearing sunglasses he had pulled from his jacket pocket.

Internally, Karkat was freaking out. Even more than usual. Who was this guy? How did he manage to effortlessly be so graceful and charming? It wasn’t long until the stranger returned with two sex on the beaches. He sat one in front of a now-blushing Karkat, and took the chair opposite for himself.

“What’s your name?” the stranger asked, removing his sunglasses and looking intently at Karkat, who had both hands clasped around his drink, unsure what to do or where to look.

“Karkat.”

“So what’s your deal Karkat?”

Karkat froze, unsure where this conversation was going. “What do you mean?” he asked, trying to act casually, but he had a feeling the stranger could see through his act. Partly because he wasn’t exactly subtle.

“You saw that stunt I pulled just now, and no one batted an eye. Except you. You watched the whole thing.”

“I’m not going to report you or…”

The stranger held up his hand and Karkat fell silent.

“You can see me? Right now?”

Karkat looked at him blankly. “Yes?”

The stranger pursed his lips. “How about now?”

Karkat looked around, then back at the stranger. “Are you fucking with me? Thanks for the drink, but I really should start to head home…”

 

“Man, hold on a sec. Here’s the sitch. I have a… thing…”

“I really don’t want to hear about whatever…”

“Just, hold up a sec. I shouldn’t be able to be seen by mortals. So either you’re not, or something’s up, and I need to know which.”

Karkat didn’t blink. “Mortals? Ok, I’m done.” He proceeded to attempt to finish his drink as quickly as possible. As he drank through the straw, his cheeks sucked in with the effort, the stranger sat back in is chair and watched, eyebrows quirked. Karkat managed to get about three-quarters of the way through his drink before he gave up, gasping.

“Well?”

“You’re seriously asking if I’m fucking mortal?”

The stranger settled forward, one elbow on the table, head resting on his hand, looking intently at Karkat as he decided what to say.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I can die, but not… not as… easily as most people.”

“Interesting, do go on.”

“I’m, I was, hang on.” Karkat frowned. “What the hell are you then?”

The stranger removed the straw from his glass, fished Karkat’s used straw from his previous drink, and stuck one end of each underneath his top lip in front of his gums. As he lifted his hands, fingers crookedly splayed, he croaked, “I vant to zuck your blood.”

Karkat’s frown got deeper. “Bullshit.” He leaned forward, and when he next spoke his voice was low, almost a whisper. “You’re telling me you’re a vampire?”

The stranger removed the straws and grinned at Karkat.

“How long have you been ali- a vampire?”

“I’m pretty young, got turned just a couple of years ago. But now it’s your turn. How come you can see me?”

Karkat looked to his lap, where he was wringing his hands, fingers intertwining and locking together.

“I’m… I’m…”

“Want to talk outside?”

Karkat nodded, finished the last couple of gulps of his drink, and headed out to the alley next to the bar.. About half way along, the stranger reached out and grabbed Karkat’s hand to stop him walking any further. It worked.

“Well?”

“I’m…” As uncomfortable as Karkat was, he couldn’t take his eyes off the stranger. Still holding hands, there was something intoxicating about him, his eyes were startlingly bright in the dimming light, and his white-blond hair shone as if impersonating the moon.

“K’know, historically we’re supposed to be enemies, so I really don’t think this is such a good idea.”

As Karkat trailed off, the stranger took a step forward, closing the gap between them. An arm snaked around Karkat’s waist and held him close.

“Hey, you can trust me.”

Karkat had to tilt his head back to see the stranger’s face. As he did, the stranger bent down and kissed him, ever so gently.

After only a second, Karkat pulled back. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Does it matter, when we haven’t been able to take our eyes off each other?”

Karkat blushed and looked down, saying nothing.

“Dave. Dave Strider.” and they were kissing again. Dave’s other arm found the back of Karkat’s head, and his fingers curled through his hair. Karkat’s arms were pinned to his sides, so he retaliated by pushing his chest against Dave’s, as if seeking body heat he guessed he would never find.

This man, Dave, had trusted him. “I’m a werewolf.”

“I’ve never… met… a werewolf… before…” gasped Dave between kisses.

“Shut the fuck up and let me kiss you.” Karkat pushed Dave against the wall of the alley, using his weight to press him into the brick. Dave snaked a hand down and grabbed Karkat’s ass, pulling their crotches together, grinding gently. This brought a whine from Karkat’s throat, which only made him more flustered.

Neither of them know how long they spent there, but when they eventually broke apart, they both had swollen lips and throbbing crotches. They remained touching - Karkat’s hands on Dave’s shoulders still holding him to the wall, with Dave’s long arms encircling Karkat’s waist.

Out of breath, Dave looked intently into Karkat’s eyes. “So here’s the thing. Normally I’d ask you out, take you on a truly inspired date, we’d do more of this, then maybe on our third meeting I’d casually invite you back to my place, get some wine, sit chatting for hours on my couch, and eventually make it to the bedroom. But I don’t want to wait that long. If you do, that’s absolutely fine, I’ll wait for you if you want me to, but if you’re up for a fun evening, well, so am I.”

Karkat was conflicted. As a sucker for romance, the dates and wine and chatting sounded particularly appealing. At the same time, he wanted to jump on this stranger as soon as possible. Then again, the unrequited crush he had on his roommate was probably making him desperate. On the other hand, Dave the vampire was fucking hot.

Dave seemed to notice the hesitation. “You’re clearly unsure, so it’s probably best for us to wait until you’re certain.”

“I’m sorry, I do want to, but it’s probably not the best idea for me right now. I’d be more than happy to see you again though.”

“Alrighty, if you pass me your phone I’ll give you my number.”

Karkat obliged, and Dave put in his contact details. With a kissing emoji at the end of his name, he returned Karkat’s phone and grinned, hands in his pockets.

“Well, until next time!” And with a cheeky two-fingered salute, he sauntered back up the alley, and Karkat was left, frozen to the spot. What the fuck had he just said? Why did he say that? For a moment he considered dialling the number he’d just been given, to change his mind.

And holy shit, that was a vampire.

***~***

Karkat stayed out drinking until closing, and decided to walk home, which meant it was early the next morning when he eventually got home. Everything was as he had left it the day before, which made it likely that Sollux hadn’t eaten. Fuck. He’d deal with that in a moment. First, he headed to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, looking at himself in the mirror.

What the fuck had just happened?

Why did he tell a total stranger that he was a werewolf? He’d felt so safe at the time, but now, with a bit of distance, he was concerned that he might be in danger. Dave was a vampire for god’s sake. Maybe he should message Jade and let her know, just in case something happens, or if she had advice. She gave good advice. Then again, he knew what she’d say - “well Karkat, maybe if you didn’t fall practically in love with everyone that showed you the slightest bit of kindness you wouldn’t be in this mess.” She’d mean well but Karkat did not need that kind of judgement right now.

Right. Time to sort out Sollux.

He knocked on Sollux’s bedroom door. No response.

“Hey, Sollux, when did you last eat?”

“When we had that pizza earlier.”

“That was two days ago.”

There was a pause, before, “Oh shit.”

“Make yourself some food, I’m going to bed.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Yes you are, you just haven’t noticed yet.”

“Yeah, well that’s fine with me.”

Karkat rolled his eyes. “Guess I’m having breakfast now, then,” he grumbled to himself as he shuffled to the kitchen. He grabbed a frying pan and heated some oil as he popped four slices of bread into the toaster. Ten minutes later, he opened Sollux’s bedroom door and sat a plate of eggs and toast on his desk. As he left without saying anything, he heard a whine behind him.

“Aww, don’t like them fried.”

Fuck Sollux. If he wants scrambled eggs he can scramble them himself.

Another plate in one hand, Karkat headed to his own room, and shut the door. As he sat on his bed to eat, he felt the weight of his phone in his pocket. He felt juvenile thinking about it, but his mind began to wonder how long he should wait before texting Dave. Was seeing him again even a good idea? Karkat remembered the red irises and felt a jolt in his stomach. One that he’d only recently felt for one other person - the man who was probably ignoring the food he had just made for him. Karkat lay back, slice of toast in one hand, frowning.

The next few weeks were going to be full of messy feelings, he just knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat can't stop thinking about that hot vampire he met last week, but his feelings for his roommate are still strong. Maybe turning to a different friend will help make things clearer

If Karkat was going to talk to Sollux about how he felt, it had to be soon. He had decided to set himself a deadline - one week, and he’d either confess or let it go forever. Sollux, being a workaholic who worked out of his bedroom, was usually around and easy to find and yet Karkat kept making excuses. What if things got awkward and he'd have to find a new living arrangement? They’d been friends since school, that was a lot to put at risk. And that wasn’t even touching on the not-regular-human stuff like how Sollux was the only local person who knew about Karkat’s… condition, and Karkat helped Sollux out with his shit too.

But at the same time, it’s difficult to let stuff like being in love with your best friend for half a decade go. Even if it meant he could stop feeling guilty for wanting to meet up with Dave again. They’d been texting but hadn’t arranged another meetup yet. It had only been five days, and Karkat didn’t want Dave to be a booty call - there was too much of a connection with the whole vampire/werewolf dynamic that he wanted to explore to allow it to be so casual. Their texts had barely been flirty, let alone implying anything other than pure fascination with the other’s condition. They were coming from very different experiences - Karkat had been bitten as a kid, and abandoned, unwanted, until his dad found him and took him in. The two of them had spent Karkat’s whole life researching how to make everything more manageable and less dangerous. He’d met Jade online as a young teenager, and now lycanthropy was her field of research (unofficially) so she was a great help. He hadn’t known any others of his kind until she introduced him to an online forum, but now he was practically an expert in supernaturality, with both research and lived experiences behind him.

Dave’s upbringing was completely different in every way except for the levels of tragedy. He also didn't know his parents and had been raised by his brother. It was his brother who turned him, as soon as he’d turned 18. Tried to get him to join in hunts. Dave hadn’t even known for sure his brother was a vampire until that night, just that he was… let’s say, a violent character. Dave had learned how to clean up blood at a very early age. But due to his isolation, he was new to the supernatural world, having only been turned a little over two years ago, and wandering alone and aimlessly. He’d figured out his own abilities by trial and error, but, until a week ago, did not know anything about other supernatural beings.

This was precious to both of them. Karkat hadn’t mentioned Dave to Sollux, of course, it wasn’t his business to tell, and yet he found himself needing to talk about it. He daren’t mention it to any other werewolf; the stigma around vampires was too risky, he didn’t want to be shamed or shunned. So, he’d messaged the only other person he felt safe around and asked to talk.

“Hey Karkat, I only have 10 minutes, so be quick.”

“Fuck, Jade, this will take a hell of a lot longer than 10 minutes.”

“Can’t you message it to me and I’ll get back to you this evening?”

“No, I need to talk about it now, it’s already been too long.”

“How’s the Lycanprazole? Better than the Caniapine? How are the side effe-”

“I don’t need Biochemist-Jade, I need Friend-Jade.”

“Oh cool, well, shoot away.”

Karkat gripped his phone tightly, and opened his mouth a few times before finally speaking. “I met a vampire.”

“Oh no, Kit, I’m so sorry-”

“No, it was a good thing. I think. He was really nice.”

“He wasn’t scary? Big fangs?”

“No fangs that I saw. Or… or felt.”

“Did you bone the vamp?”

“No, I…”

“Did you want to bone the vamp?”

“No, I…”

“You’re still hung up on Sollux?”

“If you let me fucking talk, I’d let you know what the problem was.”

“Oop, zipped.”

“You know what, forget it, this is stupid, I’m being stupid…”

“Hey hey hey Karkat, tell me! It’s not stupid and now you’ve got me curious.”

Another pause. “I think I like Dave. The vampire. But also, he’s a valuable friend, and I appreciate our friendship so much, I don’t want to ruin it by fucking up a relationship. And then there’s all the Sollux stuff… I just, I feel like all my options are bad ones. Someone’s gonna get hurt and so far it’s only been me but like hell am I going to let it be anyone else. But it’s so frustrating. I feel like I’m going to explode.”

Jade didn’t say anything. Which made sense, Karkat figured, because he did ask her to let him talk. But now he was done, it felt weird not having a response, especially from her.

“You still there?”

Jade hummed down the phone in confirmation.

“Great. Well, thanks for listening, I’ll let you get back to work…”

“You should tell them. Both of them.”

“That’s such a bad idea, it may as well have been me that came up with it.”

“Kit, if it was me, I’d want to know. Dave will either understand or not be worthy of being your friend, and Sollux is almost the chillest person I know, it won’t phase him so you may as well ask.”

“Ask what?”

“To date! Also you should let them know about each other.”

“Dave already knows of Sollux.”

“You should tell him how you feel too.”

“Oh, look at the time, it’s been 10 minutes, thanks for the chat but you should get back to work now, bye.”

Did Karkat feel bad for hanging up on Jade? Absolutely. Was he going to take her advice? He had no idea. He decided to settle by checking in on Sollux. Who was asleep, with an opened bag of cheetos next to him. Could be worse. Karkat made his way back to his room, sat on his bed, and looked at his phone, holding it tightly with both hands.

He selected Dave’s contact entry.

He closed his phone.

He opened it again.

He opened Facebook.

After 35 minutes of scrolling, he groaned, quickly flicked to Dave’s number and pressed the call button.

“Hey, it’s good to hear from you!”

Karkat practically spoke over him, “Come over.”

“What?”

“Are you busy tonight? If not, come over. I’ll text you the address.”

“Well it appears I am now double-booked tonight.”

Karkat’s heart sank. He opened his mouth to apologise, when-

“I’ll be right over.”

“Wait!” Karkat had to explain. If Dave came over without knowing the facts, that’d be bad, right? Almost like leading him on.

“I… I get feelings really easily.” Karkat was talking slowly, making sure he was being clear, but also trying to control what he was saying very carefully. This was not the time to be needlessly wordy. “Just to warn you. I find casual very difficult. I’m not saying if you come over it necessarily has to lead to something, because it doesn’t, but it’d feel deceptive to not say it.”

“Well, thanks for the heads up, I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Also, I’m feeling very messy right now, I don’t want to get into it particularly, but just know that I come with baggage. A lot of baggage.”

“Dude, I’m a vampire, I have plenty of baggage too.”

“Different baggage though. I just… I just don’t want the difficulty this could lead to to be a surprise for you.”

“Well, consider me warned. Now are you going to send me your address or not?”

Karkat could practically hear the glint of his teeth as Dave grinned down the phone. “Sure,” he answered, smiling coyly. He hung up and texted the address, stood up, and faced his wardrobe. Fuck.

There’s that shirt that Sollux said he looked good in. Or the cardigan Kanaya got him last christmas and he hadn’t worn yet. Nah, probably not a good idea to whip out something new. He needed something that he reliably looked good in. Black. Was black too dull? Should he try to stand out a bit? Red? God, no. Black is safe and warm and comfy. Should he bother with shoes, in his own apartment? He should probably shower. Did he have time before Dave arrived? How far is he coming, anyway?

Sollux yelling through the door knocked him out of his thought spiral. “Hey KK I’m heading out, I’ll be back in a bit.”

Karkat was grateful for this convenient news, and it was with renewed confidence that he picked out a black and grey patterned shirt to pair with his nice jeans. He found matching socks eventually, but decided shoes would look like he was trying too hard. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to shimmy it to one side. He’d always wished he could achieve a casual, windswept look, but his hair was too stubborn; quickly giving up, he raced around the apartment making sure it didn’t look too messy. The dirty dishes by the sink were thrown in a basin and hidden under the sink, but apart from that the space was already in pretty good shape.

Then he heard a knock.

Fuck.

He opened the door to Dave leaning on the door frame. Smooth fucker. Dave leant down and kissed Karkat on the cheek, who proceeded to blush. Karkat turned to hide his glowing face and waved Dave into the room.

“Nice place.”

“Thanks.”

“How long have you lived here?”

“Since I was eighteen, so… about three years. It was Sollux’s place first, he found it, then when I moved here he let me stay.”

“Cool, cool.”

Dave sauntered around the room, nosing at the bookshelves and tables, the wall art and the kitchen cupboards. Karkat watched him for several minutes in silence, unsure how to proceed.

“Dave?”

“Hmm?” Dave swivelled to face Karkat immediately, who, unused to this sort of undivided attention, quickly looked to the floor.

“I don’t know why I invited you here. I’m sorry, it was stupid.”

Karkat didn’t see Dave move, but all of a sudden he was being held. He loved being this close to someone, craving contact he was so unused to.

“Did you invite me here… to talk?”

“I guess.”

“To hold?”

“Yeah, I-”

“What do you want?”

Karkat looked up. “I don’t know. You, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok.” Dave dropped his arms from around Karkat until they were just holding hands. “We clearly need to talk. You’re obviously going through some kinda shit, which I get, but it seems like it’s gonna be a block for you, so we should work on that before anything happens. I feel comfortable around you, I hope soon you’ll feel the same way around me.”

“I do, it’s just…”

“Where do you want to sit?”

“I would say the couch, but I’m not sure when Sollux will be back, and I don’t exactly want him to interrupt. Also, he doesn’t know you’re here so we should probably leave him the communal areas.”

“Very sensible, you’re a good friend, he’s lucky to live with you. Well, lead the way.”

***~***

Dave was surprisingly easy to talk to. It didn’t take long for Karkat to open up about his worries - almost all of his worries. Whilst he spilled all regarding his concerns about any potential relationship with Dave, his werewolfness, and his gender, the fact that he harboured such strong feelings for Sollux remained a deeply-held secret. Karkat was happy for Jade to be the only person to know.

Their talk lasted a long time, and yet eventually they were horizontal on Karkat’s bed, exploring each other’s mouths.

And then they were naked.

And then...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I did a fade to black. Karkat would appreciate the corniness, I'm sure


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Karkat chose Dave. For now. Thanks, Jade.

“Want some water?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Dave hopped out of bed and headed straight for the door.

“Wait, aren’t you gonna put on pants?”

“Karkat, I can make myself invisible,. If I wear clothes, it’s for you.”

“Oh, absolutely don’t bother then.”

Dave grinned and strode to the kitchen. It wasn’t long before Karkat heard a yelp and Sollux’s head popped through Karkat’s bedroom doorway.

“KK, we’ve talked about having naked friends wandering through the apartment,” he said with a look. At least someone was finding this funny.

Dave appeared behind him, cupping his crotch, looking horrified.

“When did you get back?” asked Karkat, pulling his bedding up to his chin.

“Just now, and I must say, there are worse things to come home to.” He took one last look at Dave, then headed to his bedroom. “Nice dick bro,” he called as he flung one arm to point in the vague direction of Dave’s crotch.

Dave slipped into Karkat’s room and hastily closed the door. “He’s a werewolf too? Why didn’t you tell-”

“He’s not.”

“Then how come he could see me?”

Karat thought for a moment. “Well, he can see and speak to dead people, and vampires are technically dead, right?

Dave sat at the foot of Karkat’s bed, one hand on the back of his neck. “Could’a’ warned me! Not that I’m embarrassed, but a heads up would have been cool.”

Karkat sat up, smiling, “I didn’t realise it’d be an issue.”

They kissed again, until Karkat pulled back and squinted at Dave. “You didn’t get water.”

Dave laughed in indignation. “I was a little distracted! Want me to try again, or do you want to get it?”

“Nah, I got it.”

Karkat threw on a dressing gown before venturing into the dangerous shared territory. He reached a couple of glasses from a cupboard, and as he was filling them, he felt his stomach lurch.

Did this mean Sollux was a hopeless case?

Then he felt guilty. He had a hot vampire who liked him and trusted him lying in his bed, and he was hung up on Sollux? A friend who had shown absolutely no signs of interest?

This was it. He had to do it. He had to settle it in his mind.

When he returned to his bedroom with the water, Karkat tried to find a good time to mention that Dave should leave. He didn’t want him to go, he’d have been happy to spend the day together until he had to go to work that afternoon, but he knew he needed to sort out the mess before he sunk any deeper into anything.

Finally, they got there. Dave slapped Karkat on the ass as he left the apartment. Karkat held up his middle finger and shut the door. As he turned to face the apartment, Sollux stepped into the room.

“Who’s your friend?”

“Dave.”

“How come he was naked?”

“He…” Karkat hesitated. He could be putting Dave in danger if he spilled. But at the same time, he knew it would come with relief to talk about it. He trusted Sollux not to say or do anything without his say so. “He’s a vampire and can turn invisible. He thought you wouldn’t be able to see him.”

“I see. Will he be back, do you reckon? Because I have to say, I wouldn’t mind him wandering around like that more often.”

“I actually need to talk to you about that.”

“Oh?”

Karkat sighed a sigh that moved his entire upper back. When he relaxed, he felt like his arms hung lower than usual, which really said something considering how awful his posture usually was.

“I need to talk about… about us. We’ve been friends for forever, right?”

“Yeah, you’re my oldest friend by a long shot. Dude, you ok?”

“Sollux, I have some… complicated feeli- thoughts. Complicated… it’s complicated.”

“Gotcha, it’s complicated.”

“It’s… I…”

“KK, if you’re gonna declare your undying love for me at least get on with it.”

Karkat spluttered. “Wait, what?”

Sollux frowned. “What do you mean, ‘what’?”

“H… how… you know?”

“Know what?”

“Oh shit. Oh fuck. FUCK, I knew this was a bad idea.”

“KK, what idea?”

“You fucking knew... you... oh fuck…”

Sollux looked closely at Karkat, eyes wide. “Dude, I was joking, so, what, you actually do… feel… for me… like…”

“Of fucking course, we’ve been friends for as long as I remember, and I tell you everything, and we fucking live together, and you know how fucking sappy romance obsessive idiot I become.”

“KK that makes no grammatical sense.”

“You know what I mean you ass-fucking-muching-crapheap.”

“Not sure I do,” Sollux replied with a smirk.

Karkat threw a pillow that Sollux caught easily with one hand. He tossed it to the couch, and put his hands on Karkat’s shoulders to keep him relatively still whilst his arms continued to wave as he wildly gesticulated to his mouth silently moving, trying to find words.

“Dude look at me.”

Karkat obeyed, instantly calmed.

“You’re a fucking idiot, KK.”

Sollux leaned in, and suddenly they were hugging - properly hugging. Considering the most physical contact Sollux usually went for was an occasional fist bump, this was a huge step for Karkat, and he promptly all but forgot the stress that had been eating him up for a week. He wrapped his arms around Sollux’s neck and kissed him. This is what he’d wanted, what he’d been waiting for for years. Dave was forgotten, as Karkat revelled in the fact that this was actually happening. Right now.

Except...

Sollux broke the kiss. “What about your vamp friend?”

Karkat pulled away. “Please, don’t complicate this.”

“It’s already pretty fucking complicated. And he’s hot.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dude, you know I don’t do monogamy. It’s why I never approached you romantically. Of course if I’d known you were actively interested, I might have done anyway, but I know that’s not your scene.”

“I don’t know it’s not my scene, why do you think it won’t be?”

“You’re into the whole overly-romanticised one-love-forever type shit which, fair play to you, but it’s not exactly… compatible.”

“Are you kidding me? I fall in love with so many people, nothing about me is monogamous. It’s just… so much of my life is already so complicated, with wolf stuff and hormones, there’s too much to keep track of just for my health, let alone relationships.”

“Sounds like you need to rely on people better.”

“You can say that again, Mr Literally-Needs-Me-To-Feed-Him.”

“Yeah I’d be a shit boyfriend, doesn’t mean I don’t want to give it a go.”

Karkat didn’t know what to do. “Are you…”

“If you want?”

Karkat thought for a moment. “What about Dave?”

“Dude, this is what I’ve been saying, that’s all ok too.”

As Sollux said that, Karkat smiled a smile that overtook his face and displayed his teeth. It was a smile that, in the many years Sollux had known him, was new.

“Well shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short epilogue to go, it should be added in the next couple of days. Enjoy!


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2 months later...

The downside of living with an extra person was that there was more competition for the bathroom. Thankfully, everything else made up for it.

“I’m going to be late for work if you don’t hurry the fuck up,” Karkat yelled through the door.

“Piss off, or I’ll take longer,” came Sollux’s reply.

Dave was in the kitchen, preparing a large breakfast. There was toast, bacon, eggs, (both fried and scrambled,) pancakes, and a rather large collection of jams, syrups, sauces, and other assortments of jars and bottles. 

Karkat, unable to appreciate the smells coming from the kitchen, instead paced outside the bathroom. It wasn’t long until he heard the toilet flush and lock click; Sollux sauntered out slowly, and when his eyes met Karkat’s he ruffled Karkat’s hair.

“All yours, my sweet.”

Karkat pulled a face as Sollux snorted at his own ridiculousness, but rushed to the shower. Upon his return to the land of the dry, he found Sollux standing behind Dave, who was fishing food from the frying pan onto plates. Karkat looked at his watch and sat down.

“Ok, I have 10 minutes.”

“That’s what you get for sleeping in.”

“I didn’t sleep in! 10 minutes is plenty of time for breakfast. And it would have helped if you didn’t spend so long in the fucking bathroom”

“10 minutes isn’t time enough for me to gaze at you longingly from across the table.”

“Shut up Dave.”

“Eugh, I don’t get how you can bear fried eggs, they’re so slimy.” Karkat could hear the disgust in Sollux’s voice.

“Good job they’re not for you then,” said Dave as he turned the heat off under the pan and lifted the plates to the table.

“I don’t know why I choose to be with someone who likes them. It’s such bad taste.”

“Shut the fuck up, you like me despite my flaws.”

Sollux lifted an eyebrow.

“Not that liking fried eggs is even a flaw.”

Karkat felt the weight of Dave’s arms as they were flung across his shoulders from behind. He lifted his cutlery and started to practically inhale his food.

“See, this is why I don’t partake in egg discourse.”

“Thanks for breakfast.”

“No prob.”

“Prob? Really?” Sollux looked incredulously at Dave. “That’s a new one.”

“Just trying it out.”

Karkat swallowed his mouthful. “How’re you rating it so far?”

Dave shook a horizontal hand. “Not convinced yet, but it needs more experimentation.”

Karkat looked at his watch again. “I should probably start heading out.”

Dave didn’t move his arms. Sollux laughed.

“You two can have all the fun you want, though Sollux, aren’t you meant to be working today, too?”

“I just worked a straight 30 hours, I deserve a break.”

Dave’s face lit up. “Does this mean I’ll actually not be alone all day?”

“Dude, 30 hours. I need some fucking sleep.”

Dave let go of Karkat, who took the opportunity to stand up. He grabbed his plate and sat it by the sink, then grabbed his shoes. He kissed Dave. “I’ll see you tonight.” He walked around the table and kissed Sollux’s head. “You too. Make sure you eat again before I come home.”

“I’ll hopefully still be asleep.”

Dave gave an exaggerated sigh. “One boyfriend off to work, bringing home the bacon, the other asleep for 100 years, however shall I survive this trying time?”

Sollux grabbed Dave’s hand from across the table. “You could always join me.”

Karkat laughed, “now it’ll be me missing out on all the fun. Have a good sleep, see you in 9-ish hours.”

As Karkat closed the door behind him, he smiled.

He was finally content.


End file.
